July 24, 2006

Earth Sculpture

Over the years and through many gardens, I've left my mark. Dirt under my nails is as common as paint smears and comes as naturally. I've moved tons of dirt, relocated small trees, thrown my back out digging fish ponds, moved flower gardens from here to there and back again on a whim and loved every sweaty minute of it. When we moved to this rocky terrain five years ago, this hillside was barren and eroded. Our porch and kitchen window looked out on it and it was not a pretty sight. Fortunately, J has become a fine carpenter in his retirement years and doesn't mind taking orders from the designer (moi!) Together we put together a series of floating decks which are lifted from the zig-zag bridges of Japan (supposedly, the evil spirit chasing you can only go in a straight line and would therefore fall off.) The floating look really kicked in when all uprights, including the supports under the decks, were painted black. The ivy suffered and died back during construction, but is beginning to recover and will stand in as our water under the bridge. Raised beds and pots satisfy my need to dig dirt... and is much easier on the back.

Made good time in the studio today, but nothing worth documenting as yet. Lots of drying going on, I think I'm on track.

Your blog is just the best. Wouldn't miss a day of it. Love your art, your garden, your family pictures, your general outlook on life. You are my mentor from afar...I study your paintings for composition, color, line, etc. Thanks for your inspiration.

I just love the floating decks and the idea of avoiding an evil spirit along with the visual attributes is an added benefit. Looks like an excellent place to start the day with a cup of tea. Thank you for sharing your space.